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JUMPSTART
JUMPSTART
believed in why we do what we do. So
Kickstarter was a way we could give
those people the opportunity to be
involved.
We raised about $16,000 USD and
it was spent before it even came in. It
went into setting up the kitchen.
The biggest key for our success on
Kickstarter was the network of people
we had grown during our NGO days.
We sent out a newsletter letting people
know what we were up to and asked
them to help us out. The Kickstarter
campaign ran for six weeks.
WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT YOUR
BUSINESS?
A Kickstarter Success Story
INTERVIEW WITH
AWAKENING CAFE
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS
Awakening Cafe is a neighborhood joint where we can all come together
Awakening Cafe
is a place for
positive change.
We believe we can
all play an active
role in creating
happiness.
We love being part of the growing
community of Sai Ying Pun. It is one
of the fastest growing neighborhoods
in the city with new people and
businesses moving in all the time.
Making new friends and having them
feel they have found a gem in their
new neighborhood is extremely
rewarding. We also host Tuesday TED
Talks where we discuss topics ranging
from rebellion to altruism to mental
health.
WHERE DO YOU SOURCE YOUR
INGREDIENTS FROM?
The cafe is an extension of who we
are, and since we are American, our
food needs to taste like it does in
America. Because of this, the vast
majority of our ingredients come
from the U.S. Our beef is hormone
free Angus beef from California. Our
Buffalo Wing sauce, Ranch and Blue
cheese salad dressings, and cheeses
are also imported. We love the idea of
sourcing as local as possible so we get
all of our vegetables from our friends
here at the Sai Ying Pun vegetable
market. They deliver to us twice a
day with the best and freshest that is
available.
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HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DO YOU HAVE?
We currently have three full-time and
three part -time staff.
WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST
CHALLENGES?
I don’t know if it is our biggest
challenge but we really strive to keep
our “Why” central in everything we do.
Our why should be reflected not only
in our service but in our menu as well.
WHO ARE YOUR GO-TO BUSINESS
MENTORS IN HK?
Our best cheerleaders have been Maik
Freidrich at Empower Asia and Professor
Danny Chau. We also discuss many issues
with our friend Ariel Tang of Butao and
sister Awill Yiu of Awakening Yuen Long.
G/F Shop 6 Ying Wa Terrrace, 63 Centre street, Sai Ying Pun,
Hong Kong, Hong Kong | awakeningcafehk.com
as friends to share a great meal and a few drinks. A relaxed place without
pretension where everyone can be who they are.
WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION TO
LAUNCH AWAKENING CAFE?
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO SET UP
YOUR BUSINESS?
Our doors opened in December 2012
and our inspiration to start this cafe
is to love and be loved, to understand
and be understood. Awakening Cafe
is a place for positive change. We
believe we can all play an active role
in creating happiness. We can all take
pride in serving everyone we see. We
choose to make a difference in this
world we all share, no matter how
small.
It took us almost one year to open the
doors. We knew we wanted to be near
HKU so we did our market research in
Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town, lots
of sitting and watching and counting
at other similar businesses. We also
spent a lot of time on our business
plan and raising capital through our
Hong Kong network. We were able to
take over a space th